


playin it right, playin it perfect

by foggybeaches (Pbgrpy)



Category: National Football League RPF
Genre: 2017 NFL Season, Coach/Player Relationship, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Los Angeles Rams, M/M, Masturbation, Phone Sex, Voice Kink, also a little sappy, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 20:44:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13466187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pbgrpy/pseuds/foggybeaches
Summary: He would never say this to the media, but he kind of likes having Sean's voice in his ear. Hearing Sean quiets his nerves and helps Jared think more clearly, even when the headset gets chaotic and fuzzy and he can't tell exactly what Sean's saying. Something about how fiery Sean is all the time makes Jared feel like he can do anything.





	playin it right, playin it perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Set during the 2017 NFL Season. I swear this just wrote itself after all those articles (links in the end notes give more background) about young genius Sean McVay and his star QB.  
> I tried my best to make sure everything was totally consensual and involved no major power imbalances, please let me know if I need to tag anything else or anything is unclear.  
> Title from "Signs" by Drake.

Jared finally pulls into the hotel parking lot after over an hour of driving up the California coast. Les Snead had called him in the morning nearly begging him to come meet with one of the head coach candidates the front office was interviewing, so Jared's not sure what to expect. He's bracing himself for some "tough guy" with a "no nonsense attitude" and some harsh criticism of his play during the disaster 2016 season. 

Instead, Jared meets Sean McVay, disarmingly young and intense, who's put together a wildly comprehensive presentation complete with film and slides. Sean, who's able to pull minute details of obscure plays out of his memory like it's nothing, who talks to Jared about expanding his game as if there's nothing else in the world he'd rather be doing, whose carefully enunciated consonants roll off his tongue easily as he paints a vision of the future for Jared. 

They end up talking for over two hours. Snead pulls him aside as he's exiting the conference room behind Sean and asks what Jared thinks. 

"Hire him," Jared says, utterly and completely convinced. He's never been so sure of something in his life.

... 

Jared stares at the Indianapolis defensive line with no small amount of trepidation as he jogs from the sideline to the 25 yard line, starting the first drive of the season. He hands it off to Todd on the first play, who has nowhere to go and gets stopped after about 2 yards. It's impossible not to have flashbacks to last year, the offense incapable of gaining yards, Jared taking sack after sack after- 

"Hey! Jared! Line of scrimmage now!" Sean's voice over the headset in Jared's helmet prods him into action. Jared gets everyone into a huddle and relays Sean's instructions. Sean keeps talking to Jared, pointing out the Mike and Will linebackers and giving him an idea of what he should be looking for with the Colts' coverage, his voice intense and confident, soothing Jared's ragged nerves. Jared takes the snap and completes it to Sammy on the left side who's able to get yardage and a first down.

Jared gets to the line of scrimmage quickly, conveying Sean's adjustments until the formation is how Sean wants it, hoping the general noise on the field hides the shaking in his voice. Right before radio communication cuts out at the 25 second mark of the play clock, Sean says, "Jared. Confidence and command. I know you got this."

 _Confidence and command_ , Jared repeats to himself as he waits for the play clock to hit 5 seconds so he can call for the snap. The clock winds down, he receives the snap, fakes to Todd, then fires towards Robert, who's wide open in the middle of the field. It's a pretty decent gain that finally makes something inside Jared settle down. 

They win that game, and score a bunch of points in the process. It's a new experience.

...

They actually end up winning lots of games, and Jared would be lying if he said he wasn't a little surprised. Some of the success undoubtedly has to do with the exit of Fisher and his 7-9 BS, but Jared thinks Sean deserves all the credit he's getting and more for finally chasing away the dark clouds. He's unlike any coach Jared's had before- young, yes, but also wickedly smart and well-spoken and so intensely dedicated. 

He's brilliant but in a good-natured way and explains everything so well that even Jared feels like some kind of genius. Jared kind of wishes they had their in-depth strategy meetings twice a day just so he could hear Sean talk about football more often. Jared's only called him "Coach" instead of "Sean" once, on the very first day of OTAs- it had felt uncomfortable to say, and judging from the look Sean had given him, it was just as uncomfortable to hear.

"You really like him a lot, don't you," Jared's mom says one night on the phone when he's spent probably half an hour talking about Sean's offensive schemes that week against Arizona.

"He sure does, Nancy," Jared's dad says through the other line of the Goffs' landline phone. "I showed you Jared's texts gushing about the guy not two minutes after he first met him, didn't I?" 

Jared rolls his eyes. It's not unreasonable that he's excited about the guy who's helped him turn from just another highly drafted bust to a decent quarterback. He's playing great, the team's winning. It's good.

...

Jared lines up in the shotgun on 3rd and 2 four minutes into the game and takes a look at the Giants' defense in front of him. Through the headset in his helmet, Sean lets Jared know which players the Giants are probably rushing and also that he's going to have to do his reads quickly. The play clock hits 15 seconds and Sullivan snaps the ball. The pressure comes and Jared can feel the pocket collapsing as he tracks his receivers. He takes a few quick steps forward, knowing he's about to get hit, desperately searching for a receiver. His eyes finally land on the sliver of space between Higbee and his defender and he fires a pass right into Higbee's hands. Touchdown.

Jared's getting water on the sideline while the Giants are on offense when Sean finally gets a minute to high five him. 

"Amazing work there on the TD, Jared, avoiding the rush and making the perfect play," Sean says. He's holding his clipboard up in front of his face so Jared can only see his eyes, which are electric and animated.

"Thanks, Sean, just got through all my reads and saw the open guy-"

Sean interrupts him. "Don't downplay it, Jared," he says amiably. "That total command and coolness under pressure. You're going to do some great things."

With that, he leaves to go talk to Wade while Jared is left nearly speechless, his heart beating against his ribs. He throws three more touchdown passes in the game, Sean's praise reverberating in his head the whole time.

...

The NFL mics Jared up against the Texans and puts out a Sound FX video with a bunch of audio from the game. Of course, the video shows Sean talking to Jared on the radio longer than most coaches do, and everyone throws a fit about rule-bending and handholding. Jared thinks this is all ridiculous. Does Sean call plays via headset just like any other coach? Yes. Does Sean talk to him about plays and defensive alignments for longer than other coaches talk to their quarterbacks? Yes, but that's not Jared's problem- they're not breaking any rules. Sean is far and away the smartest person Jared's ever met, so why wouldn't he want to get all the information he can from Sean? It's clearly not stopping them from winning games.

He would never say this to the media, but he kind of likes having Sean's voice in his ear. Hearing Sean quiets his nerves and helps Jared think more clearly, even when the headset gets chaotic and fuzzy and he can't tell exactly what Sean's saying. Something about how fiery and fierce Sean is all the time makes Jared feel like he can do anything. They make a good team.

...

They win the division and make the playoffs for the first time in forever. Jared feels a mix of happiness and relief and vindication and he can see those emotions reflected on everyone's face in the locker room. For all the platitudes about tuning out the haters and never losing faith, Jared definitely had thoughts after last season that he just wasn't cut out for this job and he can tell that other guys had been having those same nagging doubts. Sean gives them his customary post-game speech, his voice gloriously ragged and hoarse after all the yelling he did during the game.

Sean turns to him after they break the huddle. Jared holds out his hand thinking they're just going to do a standard bro hug, but Sean stands on his toes to loop his arm around Jared's neck and pull him in for a real hug. Jared's still in his cleats and Sean's in flat sneakers, so Jared has to duck his head down more than half a foot to reach Sean's ear. 

"We did it, Sean, you did it," he yells, trying to be heard over the locker room noise.

Sean's smile is breathtaking in its happiness. "We really fucking did it, Jared," he yells back into Jared's ear.

Jared lifts his head up to meet Sean's eyes. "It doesn't stop here, man, not finished yet," he says.

Sean echoes "Not finished yet," and reaches up to rumple Jared's sweaty hair, making Jared laugh, before they hug again and separate. Jared feels an excited fluttering in his chest all through the press conference and the bus ride to the airport, chalking it up to making the playoffs- what else could it possibly be?

...

The Rams promptly lose to the Falcons in their first game of the playoffs. The whole game is jarring and weird. Their offense can't get anything going, and the way the Atlanta secondary is draped over all of Jared's targets, it's like they know exactly what plays Sean's calling. When Jared talks to Sean briefly while the defense is on the field, it's clear he's valiantly trying to stay upbeat and enthusiastic, which Jared appreciates. They're obviously all disappointed in the locker room afterwards, but Sean does his best to remind them how far they came this year and how their room for improvement is a good and exciting thing. 

Jared goes to Sean's office as everyone's changing and packing up. He doesn't know exactly what to say, but he does know that Sean's going to blame himself for the loss and he wants to somehow make that burden lighter.

"Hey, Sean," he says, poking his head in the door.

Sean looks up from where he's sitting at his desk, laptop open, no doubt looking through his playbook and making notes. "What's up, Jared?" he says, the tremor in his voice and the look in his blue eyes telling Jared that he's barely holding it together.

Jared stands in the door shuffling his feet, still not sure what he's going to say.

"Sean, I- " He pauses. "I want to say thank you. You've been, uh, really important to me this season, and I know we didn't finish it off in the best way, but I couldn't have made the steps I did without you, and I'm really excited for next season with you-"

"Jared." Sean mercifully cuts him off and smiles softly like he knows Jared's trying to make him feel better. "I appreciate that. And the same goes for you, man, we came far and we're going to come back even better. Now go change." 

Jared smiles back at Sean, trying to tear his eyes away from the subdued but still raw emotion in Sean's eyes and finally succeeding, closing the door gently and heading back to the locker room. 

...

Jared's heart isn't too heavy a few weeks later as he packs the stuff he's accumulated in his locker at the practice facility in Thousand Oaks into a box to take back to his house. The offseason stretches out pleasantly in front of him as he makes the drive down the 101. Maybe he'll go to Cabo again or visit Berkeley, or just hang out in his too-big house catching up on TV shows and watching film. 

Thinking of film makes something in his chest twinge, a reminder that he's probably not going to see Todd or Cooper ( _or Sean_ , a snarky voice in his head reminds him) or any of the guys for at least a couple of months. He hadn't really seen Sean much after the exit meetings last week aside from a brief goodbye when they ran into each other as Jared was carrying boxes into his car. He wonders for about 30 seconds what Sean's doing during the break and then shoves all thoughts of football out of his head. He's got an offseason to enjoy.

...

Jared's lying in his bed watching TV, something that has become a common activity for him this past month. He's not expecting anyone for the rest of today and he knows his roommate Pat's going to be out of the house until the weekend. He slides a hand under his gym shorts and boxers, figuring he might as well make the most of his time.

Jared's palming his dick lazily, half-focused on the TV when the memory of Sean talking to him through his headset appears unbidden in Jared's mind. He can suddenly imagine Sean's voice in his ear, saying "Yeah, just like that, touch yourself, Jared," and a flash of heat hits his body. He slicks his hand up with the lube in his bedside drawer and strokes along his shaft and the underside of the head of his dick, breathing picking up.

Sean's imagined voice comes out of nowhere again, saying "Okay, Jared, run your fingers along your balls for me, gently, then go back to touching the shaft of your dick, not the head," in the same steady, confident voice he uses when he tells Jared which linebacker is dropping back into coverage and which side the rush is going to come from. Jared follows Sean's instructions, feeling his face and chest flush. 

"Yeah, baby, just like that, get yourself all nice and worked up for me," Sean continues. Jared isn't even sure where this is coming from but it's definitely getting him off. He's closer than he should be, panting and arching up into his hand to get more stimulation, dick steadily leaking precome now. He almost laughs at the situation despite his arousal-clouded brain.  _Of course this works for you, idiot, if Sean can get you 28 touchdowns, he can definitely get you off_. 

Imaginary Sean says, "Okay, Jared, now touch the head of your dick, run your thumb along that sensitive spot I know you like so much, baby." Jared does what Sean tells him and arches up off the bed as he comes hard all over the inside of his boxers, making an audible punched-out sound. He works himself through the aftershocks, head spinning with his unexpected revelation.

His phone chooses that moment to start vibrating. Jared picks it up off his bedside table with his clean hand and almost drops his phone on his face when he sees who's calling- it's Sean, naturally. He seriously debates not answering, but he knows Sean would just text him asking why and he doesn't think  _Sorry I didn't answer the phone, I just jerked off thinking about you_  would be an appropriate excuse. He answers the call right before it goes to voicemail.

"Hey, Sean, what's up?" Jared winces internally as he hears how breathless his voice sounds.

"Hey, Jared, wanted to let you know I sent you a whole bunch of film with Tampa 2 defense, just like you asked," Sean says. Jared must still be breathing hard into the phone, because Sean pauses and asks, "Everything all right over there?"

Jared feels himself flush with embarrassment. "Yeah, all good, just... finished a workout."

Sean laughs. "That's what I like to hear! I love how hard you work, man." His voice is so sure and strong right in Jared's ear, and it feels so good whenever Sean praises him- Jared feels less surprised and more resigned when he feels his flush deepen and arousal curl up into his abdomen again. 

Sean mercifully only has a few more things to tell Jared about the film he sent before they say their goodbyes and hang up. Jared puts his phone back on his nightstand and drops his head back onto his pillow, one hand still in his boxers covered with come, Sean's voice echoing in his ears.

...

Jared thought jerking off to his coach's voice was going to be a one-time thing, but unfortunately for him it is not. When he jerks off in bed or in the shower all he can hear is Sean talking to him, telling him what to do, praising him. Jared reckons he should feel worse about this development than he actually does, but he figures it's not hurting anyone, and it gets him off so effectively that he'd rather not mess with a good thing.

Jared's jerking off one night with imaginary Sean dictating what he does, and Sean's brought him almost all the way to the edge but he just can't get all the way there. Jared's about to give up and take a shower when his phone rings- and of course,  _of course_  it's Sean. Jared knows the right thing to do is let the call go to voicemail so he can finish up what he's doing, but he's feeling horny and reckless and unsatisfied and on impulse he picks up the phone, continuing to stroke himself with his other hand. 

"Hey Sean, what's up?" Jared says, his voice catching slightly on the "up" as his thumb brushes over the head of his dick. 

"Hey Jared, sorry to bother you this late, just wanted to get your quick input on the film I sent you to help you with your audibles, because I'm putting together another folder right now, but I didn't want to put the whole thing together if you don't think the first one was helpful," says Sean.

The higher level parts of Jared's brain are telling him to stop jerking off, but his lizard brain is telling him that this was a really good idea, because actually hearing Sean's deep, strong voice with its slight gravel undertones and elongated Georgia vowels in his ear is making his dick leak precome into his hand. He speeds up his strokes and then realizes Sean's waiting for an answer.

"Uh, yeah, Sean, the film was helpful, could you send me some of my own snaps from this year too? Especially versus Seattle and Philly?" Jared manages to get the question out but is aware he's breathing pretty heavily. He wonders if Sean's going to say anything.

"Yeah, no problem, Jared." Sean pauses. "Is everything good over there? I didn't...interrupt anything?"

Jared laughs breathlessly. "Actually, I'm jerking off right now," he says, and immediately kicks himself mentally.  _Jared, you idiot_.This wouldn't be the first time giving into his reckless impulses has gotten Jared into trouble.

There's silence on the other side of the phone. 

"Sean? You there?" Jared asks, hoping Sean's hung up so he can shamefully finish jerking off and try to clear this incident from his memory.

But Sean clears his throat and says, "Yeah, still here," his tone unreadable.

"Sean, I'm sorry- I was just- I was kind of worked up all afternoon and I really need to get off but I just can't and I was about to just give up so I picked up your call when I shouldn't have..." Jared trails off, feeling his face burning in embarrassment. Apparently, today is Oversharing Day.

There's another pause on the phone. Jared feels like his heart is beating out of his chest and is about to say screw it and hang up when Sean speaks again.

"That's really hot, Jared," Sean says, and this time his tone is clear- he sounds a little sheepish at his admission, but Jared can hear an unmistakable edge of lust that makes his breathing quicken and his stomach flutter.

"Tell me what you're doing right now," Sean continues, his words enunciated softly but his voice rough. 

Jared bites his lip to stop his involuntary groan from escaping. "I'm, uh, lying in bed, touching the head of my dick with two fingers and my thumb." He feels the flush in his face get even hotter, embarrassed but still turned on.

Sean says, "Good, Jared," which calms Jared down a little. Then, he says "I bet you look so hot right now, face all red, touching yourself with- it must be your throwing hand, right?" which has the opposite effect. 

"Yes, fuck, Sean, wish you were here, wish you were touching me," Jared gasps, fingers moving faster and hips hitching up. 

He can hear Sean's soft groan at the other end of the line. "If I was there," Sean says, "I'd get you so wound up, like you are now, I'd just keep you like that until you couldn't even think, couldn't say anything but "Please, Sean"..."

Jared can't hold on for any longer. It only takes two more rough strokes and then he's coming, hard and hot, all over his chest and stomach, gasping "Sean, oh my god, Sean" into the phone.

He can hear Sean talking, saying things like "Yeah, Jared, come on, you sound so hot when you're coming, wish I could see you, baby" which only makes Jared moan breathily as he works himself through his orgasm. 

"Thanks, Sean," Jared says sleepily after he comes down from the high. 

Sean laughs. "For what?"

"Uh, you know. For helping me out."

"It was my pleasure, Jared," Sean says. Before Jared can point out that it was actually his own pleasure, Sean says almost tenderly, "Make sure you go to sleep soon, it's getting late."

Jared smiles. "You too, Sean," he says, knowing Sean probably is going to sleep for at most 4 hours before waking up to watch film or something.

Sean laughs softly again. "Good night, Jared."

"Good night, Sean."

Jared hangs up and tries to clean himself with tissues before realizing he should probably just shower. His body and mind are still buzzing with emotion and arousal, and he wants to soak in all the giddiness he's feeling before he actually has to process what just happened. He falls asleep later with his lips still curving into an involuntary smile.  _Good night indeed, Jared_.

...

His break comes to a close faster than he expects. The draft happens and so does rookie minicamp and then he's getting emails about OTA times and dates. Jared's excited for this season since he knows he and the team are going to be better, but the excitement is tempered with a little nervousness at the idea of seeing Sean for the first time since their last phone conversation.

...

Jared walks into the meeting room early on the first day of OTAs. It's good to see most of his teammates again, and he's catching up with Todd when he sees Sean walks into the room. Sean pauses slightly in the door and holds Jared's gaze for a second before he goes to connect his laptop to the projector. Just the eye contact goes through Jared's body like lightning and he can feel his face flushing slightly as he turns to face the front of the room for the meeting.

The film session and practice afterwards are relatively normal. Jared's able to focus on football for a little while and stretch out his arm during practice throwing to his guys and a few new receivers. Jared thinks he's home free when they're all changing in the locker room post-practice and Sean's shown no indication that he wants to talk about the call.

Almost immediately, an assistant coach comes by and tells Jared that Sean wants to see him in his office.

Jared figures he should put on clothes, so he pulls on the old t-shirt with cut-off sleeves and gym shorts he came to practice wearing and steels himself for the walk to Sean's office.

The door is open when he gets there, and Sean's sitting at his desk working intently on his laptop. Jared knocks lightly and Sean's eyes snap up to Jared's face. 

"Hey, Jared, glad we finally have time to talk," Sean says, and after Jared sits down he promptly launches into a breakdown of the play-action concept teams used in the last season to get their running backs free for big-yardage plays, complete with film and slides in his quintessential Sean way.

As Jared gets involved in the discussion and gives his own take on specific details, he starts feeling a little hopeful that they won't actually have to talk about the call. The hope builds as Sean finishes up his slides but quickly evaporates as Jared moves to get out of his chair and Sean says, "Jared, wait."

Jared seriously considers pretending he has to be somewhere but his conscience wins out and he says, "You want to talk about the phone call, right? Sean, I am so sorry-"

Sean interrupts him. "No, Jared, I'm sorry, that was completely unprofessional on my part. I'm supposed to be the more responsible adult here, I should have just hung up."

Jared's not surprised at Sean's response. He's trying to figure out how to tell Sean he wasn't in the wrong without saying "Actually, I liked it when you got me off over the phone" when he notices something in Sean's eyes that gives him pause. Sean's obviously great at controlling his emotions and expressions since he does it so well in games and on the field, but Jared's also spent the better part of a year learning Sean and his tendencies, so he can tell that there's something disingenuous behind Sean's controlled calm. Jared's heart takes a little leap when he realizes what that could imply. 

Still working through everything in his head, Jared says slowly, "Yeah, you should have hung up, but you didn't want to, did you?"

There's a flash of alarm in Sean's eyes. "It was inappropriate of me to keep talking to you," he says carefully- and not completely sincerely, Jared thinks.

"Yeah, sure it was inappropriate," Jared says, and now he's leaning forward in his chair a little, wanting to get the truth out of Sean. "But I think you enjoyed the hell out of hearing me getting off on your voice."

Sean says nothing, not moving his eyes from Jared's face, but his eyes have darkened a little and he's chewing on his lower lip.

Jared continues, "I enjoyed it too, you know, thought about you being there with me telling me what to do, keeping me on the edge until I was begging for it, and you finally giving me permission to come."

Jared's really leaning towards Sean now, his arms braced on Sean's desk. He can feel his voice getting raspier and his dick stirring in his shorts. "I also thought about getting you off, sucking your dick- I've never done it before but you know I'm a fast learner, you could tell me what to do, call plays for me like you always do-"

That gets a reaction out of Sean, a little choked noise escaping him and his fingers tightening around the pen he's holding. " _Jared_ ," is all Sean says, the threads of desire in his voice fanning the flames of Jared's arousal. They're both breathing hard now, Sean's hands in a death grip on his pen and the edge of his desk like he wants to reach out towards Jared, which Jared wishes he would do, Sean's hands on his skin would probably feel incredible, and his lips, and-

Coach Olson knocks on the open door of Sean's office. Sean pulls his eyes away from Jared's, somewhat reluctantly, Jared thinks.  

"Hey, Jared. Sean, Les wants to see us in five."

"No problem, Greg, see you there," Sean replies, his voice remarkably controlled, the roughness Jared had just heard almost undetectable.

When Coach Olson leaves, Sean blows out a breath and brings his eyes back to Jared's. "Listen, Jared-" he pauses, clearly choosing his words carefully. "Maybe this isn't the best place to have our discussion." 

Jared thinks he gets it. "I could come over for dinner sometime this week, you know, to- discuss the situation."

Sean looks relieved. "We can go to my place tomorrow right after practice. For film review," he hastily adds as people walk past the office. 

Jared can't suppress a laugh. "For film review," he agrees, standing and realizing too late that Sean can probably see his half-hard dick. Sean's eyes flicker down to the bulge in Jared's shorts and quickly back up to whatever's on his laptop screen. Jared's gratified by the blush he sees coloring Sean's ears and neck. He tugs his shirt down to cover himself as he says, "See you tomorrow, Sean," and leaves for the locker room. 

...

Jared finds himself driving behind Sean's BMV on the way to Sean's house after practice the next day. He's still not really sure what to expect. Hopefully, there's no actual film review involved- he got enough of that during the morning meeting. He parks in Sean's driveway and follows Sean into his house. They spend about 20 minutes figuring out what to order for dinner, then go out to the patio.

They're sitting on the edge of Sean's pool making light conversation, legs dangling in the water. The sun's still well above the horizon, but the sky has started to take on more pink and orange tones. Sean's face is slightly tilted upwards, letting the light wash over his sharp, well-formed features.

He looks over at Jared. "Top 3 moments from last season?"

Jared smiles. "Making the playoffs is number 1, easy." He leans back, his hands braced on the tile flooring around the pool. "That ridiculous 94 yard touchdown against the Texans is number 2. And number 3...probably the first game of the season."

Sean raises his eyebrows questioningly. "Oh yeah? Why?"

"I don't know, it was kind of a test for our whole team, right, can we get ourselves out of the basement and start winning games, and also for me, can I make throws, can I make plays. Plus that was when you-" Jared cuts himself off, wanting to contain his feelings for Sean at least a little bit. 

"When I what?" 

Sean looks so curious that Jared can't help but give in. "Well, you'd been calling plays through the headset, but the Colts game was the first time you really- calmed me down, I guess, I was really on edge and you sounded so confident on the radio and settled me down."

Sean smiles. "I remember that. Opening drive of the game, the offense was moving, you made a nice throw to Sammy down the sideline, but I could tell you were nervous. I still wasn't sure at that point how much you wanted me to talk on the headset, so I just said something, I don't even remember. And then we went into play-action with Todd and you found Robert over the middle for a whole bunch of yards."

"Oh come on, you totally know how many yards it was."

Sean grins sheepishly. "21."

"One day I'll get used to your freakish memory for random plays, but today is not that day."

That gets a laugh out of Sean. "You know, I also loved that 94-yard touchdown, against the Texans. You and Todd were just getting hammered in the backfield early on and we got backed up all the way to our end zone. And you stood tall and found Robert and he just totally just beat the coverage. You were just absolutely fearless and confident and that was one of those moments that convinced me you were something special."

Jared looks down and smiles, Sean's praise having its usual effect.

"You know, in any stressful game, you've always been able to project calm, and you helped me more than you know. I can't count how many times I was nervous and wound-up as hell on the sideline and you just came over and told me, 'We're good'. You mellow me out, Jared," Sean continues.

Jared has felt himself blushing the whole time Sean's been talking. The expression on Sean's face makes Jared feel like he's gotten the wind knocked out of him, in a good way- his eyes soft and almost unbearably tender, looking at Jared like he's the most important thing in the world. It's a lot for Jared to handle, but he can't tear his eyes away as his heart speeds up and his stomach flutters. 

The sun is starting to make contact with the horizon, so the sky has turned wild shades of pink and red and even purple, giving their surroundings a dreamlike quality. Jared looks at the evening sunlight making Sean's hair and beard shine golden and finds himself turning towards Sean, moving closer to him along the edge of the pool, reaching up and placing his hand along Sean's cheek and jaw, beard surprisingly soft against his fingers. Jared waits, tense, for Sean's reaction, half-expecting him to pull away.

Instead, Sean lets out a breath and brings his own hand to Jared's face, sliding around to tangle his fingers in Jared's hair.

"Jared, you have to tell me if you don't want this, I really, really don't want to do anything to hurt you or your career in any way-"

"Sean," Jared interrupts. "I promise, really, truly, I want this. I want you."

Sean gives him another one of his heartrending soft smiles. "Well, that's good." His expression grows concerned again. "We need to talk about this, though, we work together, I'm your coach-"

"Sean," is all Jared says, before leaning in and pulling Sean closer to him, moving the hand that's on Sean's shoulder up into his hair. He pauses when his lips are only a whisper away from Sean's. "Can I?"

"God, yes, Jared." And then they're kissing, Sean's lips soft and sweet and firm against Jared's. They kiss slowly, Sean's beard tickling Jared's face lightly, every press of Sean's mouth turning Jared molten, lighting up every single nerve ending, taking his breath away. Sean tightens his grip on Jared's hair slightly, then seems to realize what he's doing and relaxes his hold. The momentary jolt of sensation still races through Jared's veins. Sean's other hand goes to Jared's waist, stroking along the muscle there. 

Jared's mouth is sensitive now, which heightens the indescribable feeling of Sean's tongue lightly tracing the seam of his lips. Sean licks over his lower lip again, and Jared opens his mouth, moving his own tongue to meet Sean's-

And Sean's phone buzzes with a text. They keep kissing for a few moments, then reluctantly break apart, foreheads still pressed together, both of them smiling. 

"That's probably the food," Sean says.

...

Jared opens all the containers while Sean gets dishes and silverware out of his cabinets. They watch basketball and laugh at Shaq and Chuck on Inside the NBA. Sean finishes eating and sets his fork down very deliberately.

"Is now a good time to talk, Jared?"

Jared finishes chewing his noodles. "Do we really have to?"

"Jared, I'm in a position of power here, which makes everything tricky, not to mention how the rest of the team would react if they knew the head coach and the starting QB were...hooking up."

Jared smiles at Sean's use of the term "hooking up" but decides to let it slide. "I know this is complicated. I can promise you that I will absolutely tell you if I ever feel like you're taking advantage of me. I also think we don't need to tell anyone. Or if we do, it really doesn't have to affect the team."

Sean raises his eyebrows. "What makes you say that?"

"Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor both played on the Phoenix Mercury while they were in a relationship, and nothing bad ever happened with their team."

"Yeah, and do you really think football players are as mature and accepting as WNBA players?"

"Fair. But, Sean, my relationship with you personally is different than my relationship with you on the field. Same as with any of my teammates. If anyone can keep those separate, it's you."

Sean watches the TV for several long seconds. "Okay," he says, turning back to Jared, "but there's not a chance anyone on the team or in the media is finding out."

Jared nods. "No fucking in the locker room, got it." Sean chokes on his water. "Sean, it's not like anything has to change. We can have dinner, we can talk on the phone. Normal stuff. Plus, we don't even know what this- relationship, or whatever, is."

Sean smiles softly. "Yeah, we haven't really figured that out yet." He pauses. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but- okay. I want this, and if you want it too we can figure out a way to make it work."

Jared leans over the table and kisses Sean, soft at first and then harder. This kiss makes him just as dizzy as their first one did, so when Sean breaks the kiss with a soft sound and whispers, "Want to put your plates in the sink?" it takes a little while to process.

...

Jared rinses and scrapes the plates while Sean puts them in the dishwasher, splashing each other with water. When they're done, the sun's almost completely set and they haven't turned on any of the lights in the kitchen, so they're both bathed in twilight and Jared can't stop himself from leaning down to kiss Sean. Jared wraps his arms around Sean's neck to pull him closer, Sean's hands going to Jared's back. The kiss is electric, consuming them both from the inside out. Jared feels an edge of desperation creep in as Sean slips his fingers underneath Jared's shirt, touch searing Jared's bare skin. 

"Sean," Jared gasps out against his lips, "Oh my god, need you, feels so good."

"Take it off, babe," Sean responds, tugging at Jared's shirt.

Jared pulls his own shirt off and gets Sean's t-shirt off too, dropping them both on Sean's kitchen floor. Sean slides a hand into Jared's hair and kisses him again, not even a sliver of space between their bodies. Whatever sensations Jared felt when Sean was getting him off over the phone are magnified a hundredfold- the scent, the heat of Sean against him is much more intense.

The relentless friction of Sean's body against Jared's insistent erection is driving Jared out of his mind and he finally chokes out, "Sean, touch me, please, need you so bad," pleased by Sean's answering groan.

"Jared, fuck, you're so hot," Sean says, his eyes hot and the flush on his cheeks extending down his neck and chest as he maneuvers them so Jared is pressed against the kitchen wall, "Gonna take care of you, babe."

It's a little thrilling to feel Sean's erection pressed against him while they make out- knowing that Sean's turned on too makes Jared grind his hips into Sean's, just to tease. In response, Sean presses kisses down Jared's neck and shoves him harder against the wall, wedging one of his thighs between Jared's to give him friction. 

"Sean, oh my god, Sean," Jared babbles, his hips grinding against Sean's thigh almost involuntarily, the friction lighting his nerve endings on fire. 

"Yeah, baby, I'm right here," Sean says in a breathless rasp, pulling Jared's head down to kiss him and slide his tongue into Jared's mouth.

Jared can't help the noises he's making into Sean's mouth, his fists tightening in Sean's sweatshirt. 

"Sean, I'm gonna- you gotta-" Jared gasps, feeling like he's any second from coming in his shorts. 

Sean nods, saying "Yeah, Jared, you're so good, don't worry, I got you," and slips a hand under Jared's waistband. It only takes one stroke of Sean's hand along Jared's dick before he comes hard, doubling over at the waist, feeling waves of pleasure go through him like wildfire. He buries his face in Sean's shoulder as his hips stutter into Sean's hand with aftershocks.

Sean lifts his free hand to Jared's face and pulls his head up, his thumb tracing over Jared's lips, swollen from all the kissing. "Jared, baby, that was so hot, you've got no fucking idea, if you could see yourself..." Jared feels himself blush. He lifts his eyes to Sean's and feels the air leave his lungs with how hungry and desperate Sean looks. He opens his mouth wider so Sean's thumb slips between his lips.

He licks over Sean's finger and sucks lightly, then lets Sean's thumb slide out of his mouth. "Wanna suck your dick, Sean, want to make you feel so good," Jared says hoarsely.

Sean groans and closes his eyes for a moment. "Don't say shit like that Jared, I'm so fucking close, I would probably come before you even got my dick out, babe."

Jared drops one hand to Sean's erection, pressing down lightly and then more firmly when Sean chokes out, "Jared, please." He doesn't do much, just presses down and rubs the head of Sean's dick over his sweatpants until Sean comes with a groan that Jared feels more than hears. Feeling Sean's come soaking through his pants sends a jolt to Jared's oversensitive dick.

He slumps against Sean, skin to skin, Sean tucking his face into Jared's shoulder as they try to get their breathing under control, feeling Sean's heart racing in time with his own heart. The sun is long gone so the room is almost completely dark, and it feels like the two of them are the only people in the world. 

Jared can't tell how long it's been when Sean finally lifts his head from Jared's shoulder and runs his fingers from the hollow between Jared's collarbones to the waistband of his shorts.

"I think you just turned my brain into mush," Sean says, his voice more wrecked than it is after games and the expression on his face soft and open.

Jared brushes his lips against Sean's, barely even a kiss. "I didn't even realize that was possible."

Sean kisses him back gently. "Well, you've done it. Shower?"

...

They're lying in Sean's bed later, Jared being the big spoon to Sean's little spoon. He can hear Sean's even breathing, and can't resist pressing a kiss to Sean's shoulder and another to the back of his neck. 

Jared knows he's going to have to go back home in a couple of hours, and he and Sean are going to have to face the real world and all its very real challenges tomorrow. But right now, with Sean so close and so warm against him, Jared feels like they're invincible.

**Author's Note:**

> Works Cited:  
> [ SoundFX](https://twitter.com/NFLFilms/status/931203908344541185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F11%2Fnfl-sean-mcvay-rams-saints-jared-goff-audibles)  
> [More headset talk](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21614396/los-angeles-rams-coach-sean-mcvay-pushes-back-constantly-making-decisions-qb-jared-goff)  
> [Goff thriving with McVay](https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/24/jared-goff-los-angeles-rams-les-snead-sean-mcvay)  
> [Mental toughness and fearlessness](http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Sean-McVay-Jared-Goff-plays-with-a-mental-toughness-and-fearlessness/cf402b6e-527c-4b1c-a338-a1d71f70a285)  
> [Love at first sight](http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/04/los-angeles-rams-it-really-was-love-at-first-sight-for-sean-mcvay-and-jared-goff/)  
> [Yet another Jared and Sean profile](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21706760/los-angeles-rams-qb-jared-goff-leading-comeback-ages)  
> [He's good for me, he mellows me out](http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-360/0ap3000000903154/NFL-360-In-depth-with-Jared-Goff-and-Sean-McVay)  
> And many, many more


End file.
